On June 9, 2026, the Department of State published a temporary final rule amending the Schedule of Fees for Consular Services to establish a new fee for expedited nonimmigrant visa interview appointments. The rule creates a $750 fee that allows B1/B2 business and tourism visa applicants to secure an interview appointment at selected posts within 10 business days. The service is an optional addition to the standard nonimmigrant visa application fee and will be offered only at a limited number of overseas posts – currently unspecified – and in limited quantities. This is a pilot program with a projected capacity of 25,000 expedited requests. The rule takes effect on July 1, 2026, and remains in effect through Dec. 31, 2026.
The fee does not replace existing no-cost mechanisms for expedited appointments. Consular managers at both pilot and non-pilot posts retain the ability to expedite interviews without a fee for specific humanitarian reasons or for urgent travel deemed in the U.S. national interest, such as for an applicant requiring serious and urgent medical treatment best provided in the United States. DOS states that, because expedited appointments will be capped at a percentage of a selected post’s overall interviewing capacity, the service should not meaningfully affect appointment wait times for other applicants.
This expedited option does not replace the standard application process. The appointment selection process occurs only after an applicant has submitted a completed DS-160 application and paid the standard visa fee, which is not anticipated to change during the rule’s effective period. An applicant at a participating post first schedules a standard, non-expedited appointment. If the applicant wishes to obtain an earlier appointment, the applicant may indicate so and is then shown expedited appointments available within the next 10 business days. Upon selecting an expedited appointment, a five-to-10-minute hold is placed on the appointment while the applicant pays the $750 fee online. If payment is not completed within that period, the hold is released and the appointment becomes available to other applicants. Because consular sections will make only a limited number of expedited appointments available, there is no guarantee that an expedited appointment will be available to every interested applicant. An applicant who selects an expedited appointment and then fails to attend or cancels forfeits the expedited appointment fee.
The expedited option does not alter the substantive requirements applicable to the visa application. Applicants who pay for an expedited appointment remain subject to all standard visa eligibility and processing requirements, including any administrative processing deemed necessary, and an expedited appointment does not guarantee visa issuance. Payment of the fee does not entitle the applicant to expedited processing beyond the scheduling of the interview appointment and the return of the passport with the visa, if approved and as available. DOS further notes that the program does not increase adjudicatory capacity and provides only an additional route to obtaining an appointment.
In the Federal Register notice, DOS explains that long wait times for nonimmigrant visas at embassies and consulates abroad, including some that exceed 12 months, make it difficult for applicants to arrange urgent or last-minute travel. DOS cites the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles as examples of events where visa wait times may affect travelers’ ability to make last-minute plans. Given that the pilot period does not fully overlap with either event, the practical effect of this program on visa processing for those events is not yet known.